That was after Saddam refused to allow in the weapon inspectors. Then, there was a vote to go to war over the U.N. violations. Most countries did not want to take the initative to insure a strong U.N. And I guess, Canada and France were two of them that wanted further talks. But, Saddam had been playing games like this since Dessert Storm(1992) and the U.S. was sick of it. Then came the intelligence information. Our intelligence may have been wrong. But, this is the same pre 9/11 intelligence, worthless. But, the reasons/grounds for the war were the U.N. violations. Had Saddam "not interfered" with the weapons inspectors, there would have been no war. [Message Edited]

Kona, sometime this November Osama will be found.

And pigs will fly!

I will never vote for Howard.....not if my life depended on it.He is an idiot, a liar, and a US puppet.Fortunately, Bush won't get his entire arm dirty as Howard is also a pathetic runt of an individual.I think most non-Americans felt safer when there were TWO world powers.....one to keep the other honest.Now there is only one, and many are left wondering whether the wrong one went....

Oh Dear!
Another of the 'Labour Left' bites the dust!
Gough screwed up in the first place, Hawke and Keating screwed the entire country and I think Latham is an economic dunderhead!
Why is it the trendy inner suburban dwellers can't see the issue as one party's policy v. another?
Tsk! Tsk!

But, Saddam had been playing games like this since Dessert Storm(1992) and the U.S. was sick of it.

So why did "the US" not destroy the Iraq 'menace' as part of Desert Storm?
Simple answer, that would have left a 'power space' for Iran to occupy.
Iran had more than enough domestic problems at the time and do so today.
As for 'Human Rights" ..... what a crock.
Only when it suits the game.
>

I don't know how it works elsewhere - but in this country 'England', it doesn't matter how we vote - the Government always seems to get in

Yeah, Blair/Howard - what's the difference? Both complete tossers...

I'm voting BNP at the next election (assuming my ward gets a candidate). May even be the candidate myself...

don't know how it works elsewhere - but in this country 'England', it doesn't matter how we vote - the Government always seems to get in

Yes...it's like that here, too.

Trick is...if no-one voted at all....would we have no govt....and if so would we be better off?

Probably....

Even Daddy Bush was smart enough to stop before things got out of hand. He knew very well how it would be once Saddam got evicted. And furthermore, Daddy Bush was still respectfull of International law. He went to war in Iraq with a UN mandate.

Iraq had over 17 resolutions. The most "popular" was 1441 which said military action can be used if Saddam didn't comply. Anyways, even suggesting the U.N. is some authority is just laughable. The U.N. is caught in the biggest scam in worlds history. Saddam actually bribed officials from the U.N. and opposing countries such as France. What credibility does the U.N. have?

This nwe breed of Republicans don't care about International law, heck they don't care about American laws. You have witnessed under this administration the death of the First Republic of America. You can say that this is the start of the Second Republic, and you're a lot less free in it than you were in the first one. The freedom so many Americans have lost their lives over is being taken away from you. The Patriot Act I was already an outrage, but now Patriot Act II will be Big Brother.

Nobody has lost their freedoms. What you are saying here is the same thing that is posted all over the left wing hate sites.

How can Americans accept to have their privacy invaded like that? Nothing will be private anymore. Not your emails, not your telephone conversations, not your medical record. Heck, some good Americans were already arrested just for saying that Bush was as bad a terrorist than Saddam. Where is freedom of Speech? Gone! And it's not Ben Ladden or Saddam Hussein who has taken it away from you, no, it's your own government!

Oh the rhetoric. Once again, this is all just too extreme even to address. If we didn't have freedom of speech you wouldn't be reading any of this now. Nothing has been taken away from me, so stop being so extreme.

I'm not pro-Kerry nor Pro-Democrat. I don't really care if he made some mistakes in the past, or if he - like a whole lot of people - got carried away in a fear-induced patriotic storm. I am pro-freedom, and strongly anti-fascist and anti-Bush (or his Neo Republican friends).

You are making excuses for Kerry and that is really pathetic. You really should take this over to the DU, there are many people there you would like.
[Message Edited]

What's the DU?

Anyway, isn't it funny that if you value freedom you are tagged a leftie?  I thought the communist left was supposed to be anti-freedom.

Read about the Patriot Act my friend, and about the second one coming.  Visit the ACLU's website (American Civil Liberties Union), and see how your civil liberties are being attacked. 

www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/

http://www.factcheck.org/article259.html

ACLU Ad On "Sneak-and-Peek" Searches: Overblown It's true that the PATRIOT Act allows federal authorities to search without immediately notifying the subject. But rarely, and not without a warrant.

Remember, Kerry voted for the Patriot Act also.

Here is more on oil for food.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,135654,00.html

The Patriot Act allows the FBI to search without a warrant, and without notifying the subject. Actually, the Patriot Act makes it illegal for companies to notify you (for example, if the FBI comes at your workplace and search your work computer, your employer is not allowed to notify you neither before nor after). They can even arrest you without a warrant.
Maybe they haven't done it yet, but the point is that they can.

Anyway, I'm done on this topic here.
I will probably write on blog about it on Joe User when I have a chance.

I thought voting in Australia was compulsory? I remember somebody telling me that the last time I was in Womera. You get fined if you don’t vote or something like that? I don’t really remember it was quite a few years ago.

I know the kangaroos were pretty upset.

I think more civil liberties have been lost from the Home Owners Association than the Patriot Act.

Well anyway, allot of people are fearful fearful of the future.
I read it here and in Joe User all the time.
People seem to be concerned about capitulating to their fear.
This is a goal of terrorism.

We don’t need to do what France did in Algiers.
Not unless you want your future dictated by an explosive vest and a suicide bomber.

Oh yes, America got blamed for everything during the cold war why should this be any different.

Some people act like they would be better off with a dictator, for security, and stability reasons than empowering people with freedoms and liberties.

Yes, Evorg....voting in Oz is compulsory...

That's not a bad idea, they ought to do it here.

see? You all prove my point oh so elequently

How much is the fine for not voting?

Dunno....never not voted.....

I have this theory, well fantasy really, that if all our Members of Parliament were attached neurologically to a large pair of artificially created testicles that were placed somewhere accessible to the public and that each week as part of the National Lottery prize a lucky winner got to kick this collective responsibility for each of the time/money wasting dogma based proposals, (decided by a phone in poll) they had come up since the previous winner - this Country would have true accountability - and more considered decision making - true we'd probably have less candidates - but those we had, would be really focussed.

And oh - the tender and easily bruised pair I'd have outside Brussels

Nothing like a swift knee to the meevonks to keep someone focussed... though I have my doubts it would improve the attention span of a politician 

Fuzzy, with the way politicians lie, you better have some steel tips on cause you know what is made of brass.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041019/NEWS09/410190343/-1/NEWS

OK, I don't know what is worst... the voter fraud or the idea that somebody still is using crack.

Well, I'm 14 so the government really doesn't give a dam what I think but anyway, here's my 2 cents: I think Bush isn't doing very intelligent things and Kerry is to Liberal. If you ask me I'd rather a squirrel got elected.

Vote #1 'The Squirrel'.

His policies are all nuts....